Andrew Frost: Just Let Me Have This cabaret review – Cards up his sleeve
The performer makes close-up magic feel mysterious, surprising and spectacular
If there’s something in his hands, he’s lying to you. That’s what Andrew Frost tells us during his new show, Just Let Me Have This. And he can afford to be honest, because try as you might, you won’t unravel the methods behind his routines. This hour is centred on card tricks. But when they’re of this quality in technique and execution, the audience doesn’t need anything else. From conjuring to vanishing acts, some swish shuffles and card launches, and even a game of Scrabble, the variety is impressive and none of it disappoints.
Threaded through are snippets of Frost’s relationship with his parents’ academia and his stubborn refusal to have the audience unpick the magic. While that may never fully be capitalised on, it’s unclear if this is purposeful vague misdirection or if the show needs fine-tuning. But in bonding with the crowd, there are hints at a stronger structure to an otherwise perfectly executed magic set. The real magic at play is that Andrew Frost makes spectacle mysterious again. He isn’t reliant on large-scale tricks that can hide compartments to distract and dazzle. It’s just him, several decks of cards and a bunker full of patrons with jaws on the floor.
Andrew Frost: Just Let Me Have This, Pleasance Courtyard, until 30 August, 3.25pm.